Sheet fastening and anchoring component and system

Abstract

The invention provides a fastening component for use in anchoring agricultural sheet, textile or film to a support, and a system and method of anchoring agricultural sheeting, textile or film. The fastening component including one or more prongs arranged to engage the sheeting, textile or film to connect the component to the sheeting, textile or film, and attachment means enabling a length of resiliently extensible and/or inextensible material to be attached to the component and to the support. The fastening component may be used in combination with a length of resiliently extensible material and/or inextensible material, arranged to be releasably fastened at the other end to the support. The fastening component may include two arms, each including one or more prongs, the arms being joined at an attachment eye having an entry such that the arms move away from one another when a hook or loop on one end of a length of resiliently extensible and/or inextensible material is manually pulled through the entry and into the eye to connect the hook or loop to the fastening component.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An agricultural sheeting fastening component capable of connecting a length of elongated resiliently extensible flexible material to a section of agricultural sheeting, textile or film under tension for stretching the resiliently extensible material in anchoring agricultural sheeting, textile or film to a support, said component including two arms, each arm including one or more prongs having a tip adapted to pierce the sheeting, textile or film to connect the component to the sheeting, textile or film, the two arms also being joined at an attachment eye having an entry to the attachment eye defined between two intermediate portions of the two arms, a remote portion of each of the two arms extending away from the intermediate portions at the entry to the attachment eye to thereby position the prong tips outside of an area bounded by a proximal portion of the arms substantially surrounding the attachment eye, and the two arms being resiliently movable at least one away from the other when a hook or loop on one end of said length of resiliently extensible material or a length of inextensible material is manually pulled through said entry and into the eye to connect the hood or loop to the fastening component. 
     
     
       2. A fastening component according to  claim 1  wherein the component is formed from wire or plastic. 
     
     
       3. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 2  wherein the prongs extend at an acute angle to the arms of the component. 
     
     
       4. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 1  wherein the component is formed from a length of wire, each end of which forms a prong of the component. 
     
     
       5. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the ends of the length of wire are cut at an angle to provide sharpened points to the prongs of the component. 
     
     
       6. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 4  wherein the length of wire is bent intermediate of its length to form the proximate portions of the two arms and the remote portions of the two arms, each of the proximate portions extending to form one side of said attachment eye and then each of the remote portions extending from the respective intermediate portions to position a respective one of said prongs remotely from said attachment eye and wherein each of the arms is bent away from and then towards the other arm partway along the length of the proximate portion of each arm to form said attachment eye. 
     
     
       7. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 6  wherein the arms are tensioned towards each other to close said eye but such that a hook or loop may be passed over one of the prongs and between the tensioned arms and into the eye to be attached to the fastening component. 
     
     
       8. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 6  wherein each of the arms is bent back on itself at greater than a right angle to form said prongs. 
     
     
       9. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 8 , there being a junction between the remote portions of the arms and their respective prongs, and wherein the distance between tips of said prongs is less than the distance between each arm to prong junction. 
     
     
       10. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 8  wherein each of the arms is of substantially the same length. 
     
     
       11. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 8  wherein the eye is substantially quadrilateral in shape. 
     
     
       12. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 1  in combination with a length of resiliently extensible material, arranged to be releasably at the other end to the support. 
     
     
       13. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 12  wherein the length of resiliently extensible material is provided with a loop at one end. 
     
     
       14. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 12  wherein the length of resiliently extensible material is provided with a loop at both ends. 
     
     
       15. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 12  wherein the length of resiliently extensible material is cord formed of rubber or a synthetic elastic material. 
     
     
       16. A method of anchoring agricultural sheeting, textile or film to a support including the steps of connecting a length of resiliently flexible or inextensible material to a fastening component as claimed in  claim 1  and then attaching the fastening component to the sheeting, textile or film by piercing the prong(s) of the component through the sheeting, textile or film. 
     
     
       17. A method according to  claim 16  including piercing the prongs of the component through a reinforced region of the sheeting, textile or film. 
     
     
       18. A method as claimed in  claim 17  wherein the length of material is resiliently extensible and the method includes attaching the length of material at one end to said support, and at its other end to said fastening component, stretching the length of material by pulling the fastening component away from the support and connecting the fastening component to the sheeting, textile or film while the resilient means is stretched thereby placing the sheeting, textile or film under tension. 
     
     
       19. A method as claimed in  claim 18  including repeating said connecting and attaching steps to connect a fastening component and a length of material between the sheeting, textile or film and a support or supports. 
     
     
       20. A method as claimed in  claim 19  including fixing the sheeting, textile or film between about 10 mm and about 500 mm above the ground. 
     
     
       21. Agricultural sheeting, textile or film anchored to a support or supports by the method of  claim 19 . 
     
     
       22. A fastening system for anchoring agricultural sheeting to a support or supports, including: 
       at least one fastening component including one or more prongs adapted to pierce the sheeting, textile or film to connect the fastening component to the sheeting, textile or film, and an attachment eye at an opposite end of the fastening component, and  
       at least one clip formed by a single length of material including two end portions which overlap so that the clip is a closed loop and which end portions are resiliently biased towards each other, at least one of the end portions being a terminal end and the terminal end of at least one end portion extending away from the other end portion to form an entry aperture into the closed loop which enables the attachment eye of the fastening component or a length of resiliently extensible and/or inextensible material connectable to the fastening component to be pulled through the entry aperture to connect to or disconnect from the clip, or which enables the clip to itself be connected to or disconnected from another link.  
     
     
       23. A fastening system according to  claim 22  wherein the terminal ends of both end portions of the clip extend to form an entry aperture which enables the attachment eye of the fastening component or a length of resiliently extensible and/or inextensible material to be pulled through the entry aperture to connect to or disconnect from the clip, or which enables the clip to itself be connected to or disconnected from another link. 
     
     
       24. A fastening system according to  claim 22  wherein the clip is formed from a length of stiff metal wire. 
     
     
       25. A fastening system according to  claim 23  wherein the clip is formed from a length of stiff metal wire. 
     
     
       26. A fastening system according to  claim 22  wherein the clip is formed from a plastics material. 
     
     
       27. A fastening system according  claim 22  wherein said terminal end of the clip extend(s) into the area bound by a circumference of the closed loop of the clip. 
     
     
       28. A fastening system according to  claim 22  wherein said terminal end(s) also extend away from a plane of the clip. 
     
     
       29. A fastening system according to  claim 22  wherein the fastening component is formed from a single length of stiff metal wire bent to form two arms, the end of each of which forms a prong of the fastening component. 
     
     
       30. A fastening system according to  claim 29  wherein said length of wire forming the fastening component is bent intermediate of its length to form said two arms, each of which extends to form one side of said attachment eye and the end of each of which forms one of said prongs, and also to form an entry to the attachment eye defined between two intermediate portions of the two arms. 
     
     
       31. A fastening system according to  claim 22  wherein the fastening component is formed from a plastics material. 
     
     
       32. A fastening system according to  claim 22  also including a length of resiliently extensible material connectable between the fastening component and the clip to connect the fastening component and the clip. 
     
     
       33. A fastening system according to  claim 32  wherein the resiliently extensible material is cord formed of rubber or a synthetic elastic material. 
     
     
       34. A method of anchoring agricultural sheeting to a support including the steps of, in any order, connecting lengths of resiliently extensible material to a number of the fastening claws and the clips of the fastening system as claimed in  claim 1 , attaching the fastening claws to the sheeting by piercing the prong(s) of the fastening claws through the sheeting, attaching the clips to fixed supports, and including stretching the lengths of material to anchor the sheeting under tension. 
     
     
       35. A fastening component as claimed in  claim 1 , wherein the proximate portions of the arms meet at a point substantially opposite the entry to the attachment eye, there being a junction between the arms and their respective prongs, the prongs each having a length defined between the respective junction and tip, the distance between the point and the tips of the prongs being greater than the length of the prongs.